I am pleased to announce the following article in Nature Aware Magazine: Into the Kill: A Deeper Look at Bigg's Orcas by Josh McInnes. Summer (2019). I first started investigating the ecology of transient (Biggs) killer whales in the early 2000s off Southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Having grown up watching these killer whales hunting off the neighborhood pier, I was primarily interested in the relationship between the Salish Seas top predator and the numerous species of marine mammal prey they specialize in hunting. Over the years I have spent countless hours, sitting and observing from a small five meter boat, as groups of killer whales foraged in kelp beds throughout secluded bays. Often the transients would circle small islands and reefs, eyeing the seals basking meters from the water. Over time I began to recognize particular foraging routes or trap lines that the whales would follow, linking multiple seal haulouts along southern Vancouver Island. Predation events on harbor seals were usually successful, and sometimes lasted only three to five minutes, with little evidence the hunt had even taken place. These short duration hunts were generally performed by solitary males. On other occasions, with larger groups, hunts would last longer with members actively circling, ramming, and slapping a seal with their flukes. These prolonged harbor seal hunts were presumably utilized as training exercises for juveniles and new calves. Once the seal was killed, members would quickly dispatch the prey by grasping onto it and pulling it apart into pieces, which would be then shared by all members of a group. The efficiency of how killer whales hunt harbor seals was historically noted by the Tlingit First Nations Peoples in Southeastern Alaska. They believed through legend that the killer whale was the teacher of all the uses of the harbor seal. According to one legend, hunters would call upon the help of killer whales when times were lean. By placing tobacco leaves in the mouths of killer whales, the whales would in return provide seals to a hungry community. You can find a PDF copy at or email me at jmcinnes@uvic.ca: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iwduBxrD1WZVWLUFkEiJE2Q5pZjFEXYJ/view?fbcli... Josh McInnes, BSc Biology Research Coordinator Marine Life Studies P. O. Box 163 Moss Landing, CA 95039 jmcinnes@uvic.ca